Life Will Out
by FollowYourSmile
Summary: With their world turned upside down and their relationship hanging by a thread, Arizona blames Callie for the aftermath of the plane crash and struggles to settle into life post-trauma. Callie fights to keep their family together and prevent Sofia from losing another parent.
1. Chapter 1: A Nightmare To Remember

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own any of the characters referenced in this story. All rights go to ABC and Shonda Rhimes (heartbreaker that she is). Also, this story will not follow the exact plot of the show as the characters will handle things a little differently._

 _EDIT: I know this chapter is so super short but it was destroying me to write it and this is my very first time publishing my writings and I just needed to get it out there to see if it was worth continuing... I promise the other chapters will be longer :)_

* * *

Arizona flinched in her sleep, the familiar nightmare invading her peaceful slumber as it so often did. The pain in her leg - that splintering feeling that only broken bones could give; the aching in her body from various cuts and bruises; the screaming... She was almost sure it was coming from her. Arizona jolted awake, pushing herself upright as cool sweat trickled down her back and her breath came in short pants. She shuddered as she looked around the room, trying to place where she was, to ground herself. _"It was a dream,"_ she told herself, _"You had a nightmare."_ The blonde shifted to look at the still sleeping form of her wife next to her and her heart dropped. She felt under the covers, cringing as she came in contact with empty space where the majority of her left leg should have been. It had not just been a nightmare.

Running her hand over the stump of her leg, Arizona sniffled, hot tears spilling down her cheeks.

"Mama?"

The blonde quickly wiped her eyes and looked up, not having heard the pitter-patter of toddler feet coming down the hall. She smiled at the sight of her daughter's head poking around the door, black hair tousled by sleep.

"Hey, baby girl. What's up? Can't you sleep?"

Arizona shifted a little as Sofia shook her head and shuffled into the room, trying to climb up onto the bed. Lifting her carefully, Arizona settled the toddler between her and Callie, pressing her finger to her lips to tell Sofia to be quiet. A warmth spread through her as her daughter's tiny form snuggled against her, chubby toddler hands gripping her shirt to keep her near.

"Where Mama's leg?"

Sofia's little voice was slightly muffled against Arizona's chest, her hand patting the bed below what remained of her mother's leg. The toddler asked this same question frequently and almost always, Callie would step in and distract their daughter to avoid the conversation and the argument that would follow. Arizona looked over at her wife, watching Callie's even breaths as she considered Sofia's question. She dealt with children and their curiosities all day, it was part of her job. She would make light of a situation, tell them they would be okay, keep them calm. Yet somehow, she couldn't bring herself to give a lighthearted answer to her own child when she so desperately needed one.

Arizona tore her gaze from Callie as a familiar anger bubbled inside her. She was not proud of the anger that she still felt at Callie for making the decision to amputate her leg. She was not proud of it at all, and the very thought of having resentment for her wife's decision made her feel selfish and unkind. As a surgeon herself, she knew it was life-threatening to leave diseased tissue untreated. Tissue that had become necrotic after days in the woods with no way to clean the wounds, let alone stop her exposed fracture from becoming severely infected. She knew that Callie would have done everything in her power to save her leg, and the fact that she had given permission for the amputation told Arizona that there was no other way. Callie would want her to have the best chance of survival that she could. She would be able to get Arizona prosthetics, help her with learning to use them and the management of pain. But she had still made that decision. Arizona took a deep, shaking breath and exhaled before looking at her daughter.

"Mama's leg is gone. It wasn't getting better, so it had to go."

The blunt answer seemed to satisfy Sofia for the time being, Arizona assumed it was only because the child was half-asleep. They laid there in silence for some time, Arizona staring at the ceiling and waiting while her daughter's breathing steadied as she fell into a deep slumber. Carefully moving the toddler off her chest and onto the pillow, the blonde sat up, freezing when Sofia snuffled in her sleep and rolled over towards Callie. Glancing back to make sure both her wife and daughter were still asleep, Arizona pulled her cane towards her and eased herself out of bed. In the bathroom, she leant against the wall and slid down, letting herself collapse on the floor. As she allowed the cool tile to soothe her, she breathed evenly and closed her eyes, finally settled in the only place where the memories of the plane crash could not harm her.


	2. Chapter 2: Help (I Need Somebody)

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own any of the characters referenced in this story. All rights go to ABC and Shonda Rhimes (heartbreaker that she is)._

 _This chapter (and maybe the next one too) stick a little closer to the show and fill in some gaps I felt were left. I feel like this was a turning point for Arizona. Also, I've written bits and pieces of about eight different chapters so if I'm delayed with updating it's because I'm trying to organise my mind and writing enough for humans to understand. Not so easy when you're battling constant brain fog because of chronic illnesses! That's also the reason why my chapters are shorter than I would usually write. They are what they are so if you don't like it, you don't need to read it._

* * *

It wasn't the first time Arizona had fired a home care nurse. Or maybe it was. Callie didn't really know if she'd fired the others or if they'd quit after having various objects hurled at them.

It wasn't the first time that Callie had needed to pull her wife off the floor and drag her into the shower amidst the blonde's screams of protest.

But it was the first time that Callie had broken down in front of Arizona. More often than not, she cried herself to sleep but as she had been sleeping at Mark's, Arizona wasn't around to hear her. Arizona fought Callie, pushing her away and screaming at her to get off and leave her alone. She sputtered and cried out as the water hit her face, silencing only when Callie yelled at her.

"There's nowhere else to go! This is my life now too!"

As her wife sobbed openly in front of her, her forehead dropping forward onto the wall just above the blonde's shoulder, Arizona froze. She shuddered as the water splashed down on them and tried to breathe. After staying silent for several minutes, letting the words sink in, she swallowed. "Callie," she whispered. "Calliope, I-"

"You asked me not to leave, Arizona. Nick came to the hospital with that tumor and you begged me, you made me promise that I wouldn't leave," Callie sniffed and took a shaky breath, "And I promised. I'm still here. And then that plane crashed and it was awful, and I will never understand how it felt to be out there. But I am still here for you, Arizona. You made me promise that I wouldn't leave so I promised. I-I promised..."

Arizona closed her eyes as tears spilled down her cheeks. "I know. I know you promised, Callie. But you also promised that I'd keep my leg and-"

"Why does this always come back to the leg? I did it to keep you alive, Arizona! Lexie died. Mark died. Are you hearing me? Mark is dead. My best friend, Sofia's father is dead." Callie wailed, gripping the blonde's arms to keep her steady.

Arizona sobbed and gasped as she tried to breathe. "I know it was the only option left, Callie, I know that. But I am still... so mad at you. I'm just..." She sniffed and breathed deeply. "I'm not ready to forgive you. But I will try. I will try to move forward."

* * *

Callie stared for a moment, battling inwardly whether or not to say anything. Approaching slowly, she leaned against the counter of the nurse's station.

"What?" Alex grumbled at her, "You got something to say, say it."

Callie folded her arms and looked at him, "Arizona told me you spoke to her yesterday. That you went in and spoke to her after I specifically told you not to."

Alex rolled his eyes, "Oh great, your wife tattled on me and now you've come to bust my balls. Look, Torres, I-"

"I'm not mad," Callie interrupted, " I, uh- I actually came over here to say thank you. For talking to her... She hates me right now. Arizona, I mean. She's in a place where she needs to hate me, and I think I'm supposed to be okay with that because I'm the one who had to make the call for her to lose her leg and you can't be mad at someone who's just been through a trauma like that, you just can't. It's not right. So I was thinking I had to be okay with her hating me, but last night when I took her home and I'd done everything I was supposed to do – fed Sofia, put her to bed, helped Arizona change... I went to leave, and she invited me to sit down and watch TV with her. She hasn't even been able to look in my direction for weeks."

Alex sighed impatiently, "Get to your point faster, Torres."

Callie smiled softly at him, "We sat there for a little while watching this stupid show about people baking and then she started talking to me. Actual talking, not fighting, and she tells me that she saw you. That she had her prosthesis and she stood alone and you came in and she fell, but you caught her. She told me what you'd said to her. And that you'd helped her get back up and that she stood in front of a mirror and she asked for help. And..." Callie hesitated, "She told me that you said I was trying too. So... Thank you for that." Shifting awkwardly, Alex shrugged a little. The brunette grinned at how uncomfortable he appeared, "You can go, Alex. I'm done."

Grabbing his charts, Alex started to walk away down the hall then turned back to Callie for a moment. "She's coming back, right? Soon?"

Callie's smile faltered ever so slightly. "She- Maybe." Turning quickly, Callie Torres walked as fast as she could out of the pediatric ward.

* * *

The apartment was quiet when Callie got home, Sofia on her hip. "Arizona," she called out, "we're back." Her call was met with silence. Callie ventured further into the apartment. "Arizona?" She called again. Nothing. The brunette frowned and peered into the bedroom. "Huh... Wonder where your Mama's gotten to..." Carefully, she settled Sofia in her high chair and handed her the sippy-cup before starting to get dinner ready.

As she cooked, she continually glanced at the clock and checked her phone, wondering where her wife was. She tried to call a few times but each call went immediately to voicemail. After lightly pureeing the food for her daughter Callie breathed deeply and pulled a chair close, sitting in front of Sofia and handing her a spoon. "Eat up, baby girl."

Sofia clumsily started to feed herself as Callie's mind drifted. It was like she was on autopilot; wiping Sofia's mouth, pulling her up and sticking her in the bath, rocking her to sleep. All the while her ears were tuned to the front door, listening for any sound that might indicate her wife had arrived home. Glancing at her daughter, Callie grabbed the baby monitor and slipped out the door, leaving it open so she could get back in quickly if Sofia cried.

Callie sighed as she unlocked the door to Mark's apartment. Huh. _Mark's apartment._ Callie wondered if she would ever think of it as anything else. Or if she'd ever be able to sell the apartment. Could she really handle somebody else living here? She kept the front door open, clinging to Sofia's baby monitor and hoping that she would stay asleep long enough for Callie to grab her pyjamas from Mark's bedroom. She'd slept here almost every night since Arizona had come home. As she made her way towards the bedroom, Callie hesitated. A sniffling followed by several quiet sobs. Gently pushing the door open, she froze at the scene before her.

Arizona was sitting at the end of Mark's bed, clutching his suit jacket and crying. Callie hesitated, "Oh. God. I'm sorry, I didn't-... I can go."

"No, Callie," the blonde sniffed and wiped at her eyes, "Please, stay."

Callie sighed softly and walked over, sitting down on the bed and letting Arizona lean against her. She slipped her arm around her wife, rubbing her back gently but staying silent. They sat there for a little while, Arizona sobbing into Callie's shoulder, the brunette waiting in silence until her counterpart was ready to speak.

Arizona gasped for air, her breath shaky as she sat up more and wiped her eyes before trying to clear her throat. "When we got married, when Mark came to get me for the wedding, I wasn't ready."

She sniffled, "I told him that when my brother found out that I was a lesbian, he asked if that meant I was going to marry a chick. And how he'd smiled so big when I said yes, and he told me he was going to dance so hard at my wedding."

Callie tightened her arm around Arizona's shoulders and held her close.

"I told Mark that was why my Dad scheduled each and every minute, so that none of us could slow down long enough to miss Timothy. I wasn't ready when he came to get me because I needed time to miss my brother. And Mark stood there with me and he hugged me and he let me cry all over him."

Arizona wailed, "Mark was good. He was a good man. And now- and now he's gone."

"I know," Callie mumbled into her wife's hair, "I know..."


	3. Chapter 3: Set Fire to the Rain

**Disclaimer** : _I do not own any of the characters referenced in this story. All rights go to ABC and Shonda Rhimes (heartbreaker that she is). Also, this story will not follow the exact plot of the show as the characters will handle things a little differently._

* * *

"Torres! Hey, Torres!"

Callie groaned to herself and slowed down, allowing Alex time to catch up with her. "What is it, Karev?" She questioned, wary of where this conversation could lead.

"When's your wife coming back? I've got cases piling up here and some parents are really pissed off because I'm not Robbins." Alex almost ran into Callie when the brunette stopped abruptly.

Callie gave him a withering stare, "Haven't we had this conversation? Multiple times?"

Alex Karev wasn't one to shy away from conflict, but the look the orthopaedic surgeon gave him told him he had overstepped in a colossal way. "I'm just saying... We freaking need her."

Alex felt tremendous guilt for what had happened to Arizona. After all, it was because of him that she was on the plane in the first place. He had been angry that she'd tanked his interviews. She had wanted him as her peds fellow and he had wanted other opportunities. When she had eventually made calls, he had decided to go to Johns Hopkins. And she was furious with him. So she'd kicked him off the case and taken his place on the plane. Nothing that Alex did would ever make up for the fact that he was supposed to be on that plane and she was not. He knew that.

Callie looked at Alex and sighed before placing her hand on his shoulder. "I'm working on it. Things are still shitty, but I'm working on it."

"Could you work on it faster?"

She raised her eyebrows at him, "You wanna give it a shot? Go right ahead." Alex grumbled and stormed off down the hall, leaving Callie alone. "Alrighty then..."

* * *

 ***BANG BANG BANG***

"Robbins! Robbins, are you in there?"

Arizona ignored the banging on her front door and pulled her blanket further up her body. She had no interest in hearing whatever Alex Karev wanted to tell her. She wasn't interested in having any kind of conversation with him or ever setting her eyes on him again. She had mentored him, she had vouched for him on more than one occasion, and she had trusted him. And he had completely let her down. And then he'd had the nerve to push her while she was trying to get herself together. She'd told him she was trying and he'd thrown it in her face. _"Callie's trying too."_ How dare he. Sure, she'd made some progress with the prosthesis. She'd started using it more and was talking to Moore about her residual pain. She'd even started to let Callie in a little more. But she was not prepared to go back to work. The banging on the door continued and she sighed, carefully wheeling her chair in the direction of her front door.

"ROBBINS. OPEN THE DAMN DOOR." Alex pounded his fist on the door then waited a moment. When there was no response, Alex shouted again, "ROBBINS!"

Arizona sighed, annoyed that he had turned up and even more annoyed that he had the gall to shout at her. She raised her own voice just loud enough for him to hear, "Go away, Alex. I'm not in the mood."

He hesitated. At least she'd talked, right? "When are you coming back?"

"I'm not." Arizona wanted to argue with him, she wanted to shout back but she knew that would only give him more reason to stay.

At her response, Alex paused, hoping that she was just trying to get rid of him and that she wasn't really considering quitting altogether. He took a breath. "Of course you're coming back. Your job is waiting for you. Your patients are waiting for you. And I can tell you, some of them are super pissed that they're stuck with me."

"Yeah, well, you're you. I'd be pissed too."

"Real nice. Now open the damn door and insult me to my face."

She stared at the door in silence, wondering if he might leave faster if she did talk to him. Arizona knew how persistent Alex was, she knew he wasn't going to give up in a hurry and that he would no doubt report back to Callie that she had been obstinate.

 _"Screw this,"_ Alex thought and grabbed the door handle, twisting firmly and shoving his shoulder against the wood. The door opened easily and as he went flying forward, Alex cursed aloud at himself for not having bothered to try the handle earlier.

The blonde woman stared, wide-eyed as the body of a swearing Alex Karev almost flew into her apartment and landed, sprawled out on the floor. Despite her anger towards him, she couldn't help the laughter that bubbled out of her mouth. She thought briefly about asking if he was okay, but couldn't stop laughing long enough to form the question. Alex started to raise himself up and looked at Arizona, who had tears of laughter in her eyes. It was such a relief to see her laughing that he didn't even care that it was at his expense and as she clutched her side, still laughing, he couldn't help but laugh too. Gasping for air and wiping her eyes, Arizona fought to get words out amidst her giggles, "You- should have seen- your face!"

Alex chuckled, "I thought it was locked!" As they laughed together, Alex was reminded of Izzy, unable to stop herself laughing at George's funeral and how the laughter was really what they had all needed in that moment. Slowly, the laughter died down and Arizona sniffed and sighed before speaking. "Shut the door, Alex."

He raised an eyebrow, "From the other side or…?"

Arizona smiled softly, "No. You can stay."

Nodding, Alex walked to the door, his eyes lingering a little on the door to the opposite apartment, Mark's apartment. Clearing his throat, he closed the door with a snap and turned back to Arizona, who was watching him carefully. She spoke quietly, "It's weird that he's gone. I feel like he's still right across the hall. Just there, always. Dependable."

Alex snorted at the word but stopped quickly at Arizona's face.

"I know. I know that 'dependable' isn't a word that would usually be used to describe Mark Sloan, but for us, for Sofia? He was. Always there." Arizona stayed silent and still for a moment before she turned away from the door, wheeling herself next to the couch.

Alex took this as an invitation to move further into the apartment and wandered over to sit on the couch next to her. He watched her, waiting for her to speak again. When she stayed silent, he took a breath, "Sloan would've kicked your ass, you know."

Arizona shot a look at him. She wanted to be angry, wanted to throw things and yell and make him regret coming to her apartment at all. But she couldn't. Firstly because she knew he was right, Mark would have kicked her ass for not trying as hard as she could have. Secondly, because talking to someone that wasn't Callie just felt good. She sighed and looked at him, "Yeah… If he was still here I'd probably be back at work. He would have made me go back."

"Why do you think I'm here?"

Rolling her eyes, Arizona didn't respond right away but looked down at where her leg used to be and stared for a few minutes. Her mind drifted to the plane crash, her memories so vivid that she didn't even notice Alex getting up from beside her and walking around the apartment. When she eventually shook off the visions of the crash, Arizona took a shaky breath and said, "I'm not ready to go back." When there was no response, she looked up, startled to see that there was no-one beside her. "Alex?"

The man's head poked out from behind the bedroom door and Arizona frowned. She was about to tell him to get the hell out her room when he walked through the doorway, holding her prosthetic. She felt anger rising in her. "Put. That. Down," she hissed.

"No." Alex walked over to her and knelt down in front of her with her prosthesis. "You're going to walk today." He leaned to help her and she shoved him back.

Arizona knew how much force she had put behind that shove, and while she wouldn't admit it out loud, she was impressed by how little Alex actually moved. She glared at him, her voice shaking with anger, "Get out. Get out, right now."

He met her eyes and glared back, "You want me out? Walk. That's the condition. I'm here until you walk. I know you can do it, I saw you the other day. So get up off your ass and freaking walk." He hadn't meant to shout the last part at her, but it seemed to be effective.

Even though she was still glaring at him, she finished fitting her prosthesis and held her hands out for him to pull her up. He did so, holding onto her waist until she swatted his hands away. Taking a breath, Arizona focused and walked towards the door, twisting the handle and opening it before turning around to Alex. Pointing out the door, she spoke clearly and quietly, "Get out of my apartment. Now."

Alex smiled softly and nodded, walking out the door and mumbling "Good job" to Arizona as he went by. She slammed the door and Alex heard the distinct sound of a lock turning before he walked to the elevator and started to make his way back to the hospital, one thought running over and over in his head, _"She's walking."_


	4. Chapter 4: I'm Still Standing

**Disclaimer** : _I do not own any of the characters referenced in this story. All rights go to ABC and Shonda Rhimes (heartbreaker that she is). Also, this story will not follow the exact plot of the show as the characters will handle things a little differently._

 _EDIT: I know these chapters are still short. As I said last time, please bear with me. I'm doing my best and have had many difficulties this year including some family losses. I'm hoping to wrap this up soon so I can put it behind me and give you all the ending that Calzona deserves._

* * *

Callie scrunched up her nose and smiled as she felt Sofia's little hands on her cheeks. She had been having a pleasant dream about a vacation she had always wanted to take. Her and Arizona on a beach, relaxed and in love. She would have given anything for it to be a reality. Callie yawned a little and stretched, not quite ready to open her eyes. Wrapping her arms around the little girl, Callie pulled her close, cuddling her and enjoying the little giggles that bubbled from her daughter's mouth.

As Sofia rubbed her face into Callie's neck, the brunette breathed deeply, sighing happily and reaching one arm out to her wife's side of the bed to invite Arizona into her arms too. Patting her hand around the bed and coming in contact with nothing but the bed sheets, Callie cracked opened her eyes and peered over Sofia's head, frowning slightly. "Arizona?" she called, sitting up and pulling Sofia with her. Noticing the ensuite door was open, Callie called again, "Arizona?"

Callie yawned again and got out of bed, lifting Sofia up with her and settling the toddler on her hip. She padded over to the open door of the ensuite and sighed as she saw Arizona on the floor of the bathroom, fast asleep against the wall as she did most mornings. The mornings that Callie didn't find her wife on their bathroom floor, she would be up most of the night trying to calm her down after Arizona woke from a nightmare. Looking at Sofia, she smiled softly, "I think we'll let Mama sleep a little longer, baby girl."

* * *

With Sofia fed, dressed, and safely picked up by Meredith to go to daycare with Zola, Callie ventured back into the bathroom and sighed softly. She'd scheduled her surgeries to start later on purpose every day that week, hoping that she would be able to talk Arizona into coming back to work with her. Her wife was walking with the prosthesis, though still seemed timid about letting others see her. She snapped when Callie encouraged her, so Callie simply settled for being a silent support system.

Perching herself on the closed toilet seat, Callie reached out and smoothed Arizona's blonde locks back, revealing her face. "Arizona... Arizona, you need to wake up. Come on. Take my hands, let me help you."

Callie held out her hands to her wife and sighed softly when the blonde made no signs of movement, not even opening her eyes. "Come on, I can help you. Please, let me help you..." Crouching down, Callie smiled a little and rubbed Arizona's cheek with her thumb.

The blonde opened her eyes wearily and looked at her wife. "Callie? Where- Where am I? I'm-" she looked around, the bathroom slowly coming into focus as she became more alert and the memories of the previous night came back to her. "Oh..."

"You had the dreams again? Did you get any sleep before you moved in here?"

Arizona shook her head, "No. Well, not really. Sofia came in after I woke up for the third time and once she passed out, I gave up. Still the only room in the apartment that works."

"Maybe it's the tile. Like how people lay on it when they're sick and they need something to bring their temperature down."

The blonde shrugged, "Maybe." Searching for a change in conversation before Callie saw this as an open invitation to start suggesting new things, Arizona took her wife's hands and pulled herself up. "Do I smell pancakes?"

Callie grinned and helped Arizona back to the bedroom. "You sure do! Sofia's choice this morning... She's already gone," she added as Arizona looked around for their daughter. "Grey picked her up with Zola this morning. I'll check in when I go to work." She watched Arizona securing her prosthesis and stand gingerly. "Speaking of work-"

"No, Callie." Arizona cut her wife off before she could even finish the thought. They had had the same conversation every day that week. Ever since she'd started using the prosthetic leg more and doing things around the apartment for herself again. Every morning, Callie would get up early, send Sofia off and wait to try to talk Arizona into going back to work. "But I'm not ready yet," she thought, "I'm not going back until I'm walking properly. And I'm going to do it in my own time." Arizona met her wife's eyes and scowled.

"Alright! Fine. Not today. I got it." Callie check her watch and sighed. "I'm going to be late if I don't go now. Leaning over and kissing Arizona's cheek, she set a plate of pancakes down before grabbing her keys and purse and heading out the door.

* * *

"TORRES! HEY, TORRES!"

"Oh, not again," Callie thought and groaned internally, stopping to let Alex Karev catch up with her outside the hospital. "Karev, I told you yesterday-"

"How often is she walking?" Alex interrupted, pulling Callie out of the flow of foot traffic.

Callie frowned, a little taken aback."How often is she- what? How-how do you even know?"

Alex shifted a little uncomfortably. "I went to see her after I talked to you yesterday," he admitted, "I left the hospital and I went to your place and I talked to her."

"You did WHAT? Karev, when I said _'you want to try'_ I wasn't being serious! God, no wonder she was pissed when I got home! She probably thought I'd sent you over!"

"Yeah, but she walked," he argued. Callie's eyes narrowed at him and he breathed deeply before starting again. "You know that intern Morgan? She had that preemie baby, Tommy and we were hanging out all the time? I was a real ass to her and Robbins told me that I'd been a good doctor, even if I was a shitty friend. She told me that Morgan needed to be tough to get through what was happening and if hating me helped her be tough then that was okay."

As Alex talked, Callie started to see where he was going and nodded slowly, "So you're thinking this is the same thing? Yeah, no. That's not going to work with Arizona. Trust me, she hates me enough for everybody. If hate was what was going to fuel her progress then she'd be running marathons by now. That's how much she hates me."

He shrugged, "She still walked. I mean, she hates my guts but… She walked."

The brunette woman smiled softly, "She walks all the time. She's not completely stable but she does walk. She tells me she's not ready to come back to work and if I push her she hates me even more. Thanks for trying, Karev. But it's not progress." Callie started to walk away then hesitated and turned back to Alex, "Do me a favour? Don't mention it to anyone. Just… Keep it to yourself." She waited for him to nod before walking away.

* * *

"How's Arizona?" Miranda Bailey enquired as soon as she had seen Callie walk into the hospital.

"I'm... Not allowed to say... She won't see anyone. She won't even leave the house. And," Callie looked around to be sure that everyone else was out of earshot, "She's walking. She's even working with her prosthesis, but, you know, it has to be perfect. And I try to be encouraging, but then she tells me I'm pushing her."

It was nice to have someone to talk to about it, someone who wasn't Alex Karev. Someone who wouldn't bite her head off or tell her she didn't understand, or that she had made the choice herself and now had to deal with the consequences. Bailey genuinely wanted to know. She was supportive and caring and had always been a good friend to both Callie and Arizona. She was the one who talked Callie back into the wedding, the one who had married them, the one who calmed Callie down when she was worried about Sofia. She was the one who Callie could go to and ask for help. In a way, Bailey made Callie feel safe. It was hard not to talk to her.

Miranda was all for taking time off to grieve and heal. After all, she herself had taken a month off after the shooting and felt it was the best thing she could have done. But if Arizona was walking again, Bailey figured she was ready to be back. _"And God knows we need her back,"_ she thought, glancing at her patient's chart. Bailey sighed and looked up at Callie as she closed the chart again, "Tell her I say get her ass in here."

"Oh," Callie laughed as she walked with Bailey, "Sweet. She can be cranky and resentful to you."


	5. Chapter 5: Get Up, Get Out

**Disclaimer** : _I do not own any of the characters referenced in this story. All rights go to ABC and Shonda Rhimes (heartbreaker that she is). Also, this story will not follow the exact plot of the show as the characters will handle things a little differently._

 _EDIT: This is really the only chapter that sticks so super close to the show because I feel like it was a really important episode for Arizona. I added bits and pieces where I felt there was a gap but I felt like this needed to be a stand alone chapter._

* * *

After her conversation with Callie, Miranda Bailey had been on rounds and gone through the charts of every paediatric case on the surgical floor. The last in a mountain of charts was a patient that she had only seen a couple of hours ago. "Gotcha," she thought, flipping through the chart and nodding as she formulated a plan in her mind.

Bailey pulled her cell phone out and took a deep breath before dialling Arizona's number.

"Hi, Bailey. I'm not really up to-"

Miranda cut Arizona off immediately, "Oh. I _wish_ I had time to talk but I'm calling for a favour." She spoke clearly but quickly, not giving Arizona a chance to interrupt. "I have a patient. 13-year-old female, three days post-appendectomy with a persistent sore throat, and as of this morning, severe swelling on the left side of her neck. I'm kind of at a loss here."

On the other end of the phone, Arizona tried not to be suspicious of Bailey. She sighed, "Well... Get a CT."

"No, I am. I am. I just thought you might know off the top of your head." Miranda pressed a little more, "Have you ever seen something like this?"

Arizona grumbled frustratedly, "Maybe. I mean, I'd have to take a look at the chart." She sighed, keen to finish the conversation, "You know, Bailey, I'm not really back to work yet, and I'm busy." Guiltily, she glanced at the magazines next to her and her mind almost longed to peruse something more substantial.

As Arizona started to backpedal, Miranda was tempted to try to diffuse the situation but figured she might as well completely throw herself to the wolves. "I know, I know. I just... What if I have an intern bring you a copy of the chart? You take a look, if it sparks anything, you can call me back."

"Can't you just email it?"

Miranda thought quickly, "Um, not scanned yet."

The blonde gritted her teeth, "Fine. Fine. Just send the chart over."

 _"YES!"_ Bailey thought before responding, "Oh, thanks so much." As she hung up the phone, Bailey breathed in and out deeply, grateful for this small victory.

* * *

Miranda Bailey groaned as she saw **Arizona Robbins** flicker across the screen of her phone. "Oh boy," she said under her breath, "This is could be ugly…" She took a deep breath and forced a casual tone as she answered the call, "Hey!"

Arizona was not in the mood for cheeriness and got straight to the point, "Did you send the chart?"

"I did," Bailey lied, "An hour ago. I told my intern to leave the copies by the door." She was acutely aware of her intern's widening eyes as they tried to figure out if they had missed something.

The blonde sighed exasperatedly and rolled her eyes, "Well, did you tell them to ring the bell?"

Bailey turned away from the doorway and lowered her voice, "I would've thought that was a given, but this year's interns seem more defective than most."

Miranda's intern frowned and questioned, "Did you tell me to leave the-"

"Ah." Bailey put her hand quickly over the receiver so Arizona couldn't hear her as she glared at her intern (whose name didn't seem important enough to remember). "Speak when you're spoken to..." She watched the intern walk away before going back to her conversation with Arizona. "Yeah it's outside your door."

"Fine." Arizona hung up the phone and fidgeted for a moment, frustration coursing through her. Grumbling, she carefully fitted her prosthetic leg and gingerly made her way from the bedroom towards the front door. The prosthesis buckled a little and she slipped, falling forward and grabbing the arm of the couch to stop herself hitting the ground. As the couch shifted a little, it nudged the end table and sent a vase crashing to the floor. Arizona stood and breathed deeply before pulling her sleeves up and carefully stepping over the shattered vase, cringing as the pieces crunched under her shoes. Upon making it to the door, she gripped the frame to keep herself steady and pulled the door open. Arizona stared for a moment at the ground where the copies of the chart were supposed to be waiting for her before furiously slamming the door.

Her anger taking over, Arizona stormed easily back into the apartment to grab her phone, quickly calling Bailey.

Before the other woman even had a chance to speak, the blonde yelled down the phone, "Bailey, what the hell?!"

Miranda tentatively answered, "I am so sorry. I don't know what happened. The stupid intern's gonna hear about it though."

Hearing her colleague's tone, Arizona calmed herself a little bit, "No, it's just- it's a huge- It's a huge waste of my time!"

"It is, and I'm sorry. I will find out what happened to that chart and get it right over to you." Miranda ended the call and breathed shakily as she thought to herself, _"This is for her own good, you are doing this for her own good."_

* * *

Exactly 45 minutes later, as she was sitting in the attending's lounge, Bailey's phone started ringing. She looked at the name and immediately put it on the table in front of it, staring at it with slight panic until it stopped ringing. When it buzzed, telling her she had a voicemail, Miranda tentatively played it and cringed as Arizona's voice snapped through the phone at her, _"Bailey, it's Robbins. I have thoughts on your case, many thoughts and ideas, but I can't tell if they're worthwhile ideas until I read the chart. So can you send me the friggin' chart? Please."_

Bailey set her phone down again and shook herself a little to rid herself of the guilt she felt for causing Arizona stress.

Not long after, Bailey stood alone, only looking up when Callie walked in. "Hey, hey. You talk to your wife tonight?"

Callie raised her eyebrows at Bailey's anxious tone, "No. Why?"

Bailey looked apologetically at her friend, "Oh, I may have pushed a thing a little too far, and now I'm not sure what you're going home to."

"What did you do?" Callie panicked that Bailey, like Alex, had done something that would turn her apartment into a war zone once more. As her mind spun through all the possible things that could have happened, her eyes stopped on a very familiar blonde walking down the hall. Callie couldn't help but smile, "Bailey? What did you do?"

Miranda turned around and gasped a little excitedly, her eyes widening, "Oh, I may have pushed it just far enough. Okay, you gotta go." At a questioning look from her colleague, Bailey hurried to explain, "She's like a, you know, a little bird. If we move too fast, we'll scare her off. You're too much pressure now. You gotta go. Go, go, go!" Miranda ushered Callie out of the room and quickly picked up the nearest chart, fixing her eyes to it while she waited for Arizona to walk in.

The blonde walked down the hall and looked to her right, spotting Bailey and immediately feeling anger bubble up inside her. Entering the room, she came to a halt in front of Bailey and crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow expectantly. "I never got the chart."

Bailey urged herself not to smile as she saw Arizona standing in front of her. She sighed and grabbed the chart from next to her, "I am so sorry. It's right here." She handed her friend the chart and watched hesitantly.

"You know, you asked for my help, and I'm happy to help you, but I can't do that unless I have the information," Arizona grumbled as she opened the chart and started flicking through the information.

Bailey murmured another apology, fighting a smile as Arizona started to formulate a diagnosis. As they talked, Bailey pretended not to have come to the conclusion on her own, asking questions like Lemierre's disease hadn't even occurred to her. She walked with Arizona and allowed herself to feel some pride in her friend for coming down, and pride in herself for formulating the plan that got her down in the first place.

* * *

Callie slipped into the day care to take Sofia home and accidentally collided with Meredith Grey. "Oh, god! I'm sorry. Hey, Zola," She smiled at the little girl and her mom.

Meredith waved a hand to tell her it was fine and smiled a little. "Hey, I thought I saw Arizona just before. Is she here?"

Callie gathered her daughter's things and signed her out of day care to procrastinate answering Meredith's question. As she picked Sofia up and turned around, she saw Meredith still waiting with an eyebrow raised. She hesitated again, then sighed. "Yes. But please," Callie half begged, " _Please_ keep it to yourself. No telling anyone at all, especially not Alex Karev. Bailey got her in here by some miracle and I would really like everything to go right from here on out."

Meredith looked at Callie with her eyes wide at how much the brunette could say in under fifteen seconds. "Okay," she answered simply, "Should we leave now then?" Nodding, Callie held Sofia close and followed Meredith out of the hospital.

At her apartment, Callie fed and bathed Sofia and was just tucking her into bed when she heard the front door open. She smiled a little at her daughter, "I think Mama's home. Close your eyes and she'll come and kiss you goodnight." The brunette kissed her baby daughter and slipped out of the room. "Arizona? I just put her down but she's waiting for you to say goodnight."

Arizona smiled softly and walked over to Callie, kissing her cheek softly before making her way into Sofia's room. Callie froze almost immediately when her wife's lips touched her face. Had her first time back in the hospital really been that good? She was hesitant to be too hopeful in case she disappointed again and decided it was best not to wait outside the door. Back in the kitchen, Callie finished up making dinner for her and Arizona, trying not to focus on what her wife was thinking or feeling about going back to work.

The blonde made her way quietly out of her daughter's room and followed the noise to the kitchen where she stood, watching her wife silently for a moment. She took a breath before speaking quietly, "I went to the hospital today."

Callie looked up, acting surprised. "Is something wrong?"

"No." Arizona smiled, "I went to help Bailey. I liked it. I mean, I was nervous but… It felt good." Neither woman spoke for a few moments until the blonde stepped a little closer to her wife. "I'm going back again tomorrow…"

At this, Calliope stared wide-eyed at her wife. "Are you- Are you sure? I mean, are you super sure?"

"I'm very sure," Arizona put her hand on Callie's arm, "I'm ready. But I'd like to keep it quiet." The brunette could do nothing but nod and hug the woman in front of her tightly. Finally, things were looking up.


End file.
